1. Collect Emails

Even in the light of the shift toward social marketing, email marketing is still proving to be an effective way to campaign. Too many businesses leave creating and growing an email list unused. An easy way to grow your email list is to add an e-club to your website. Another idea is to have a place for customers to drop business cards in when they visit your office. Promote the collection by hosting a once a month drawing where the winner is notified by email. At networking events, ask potential clients if you may add them to your email list.

It is important to stay in contact with your customers. And not just to sell them something. Contact your customers at least once a month to contribute valuable life enriching industry information. Creating stellar content that is actually useful to your customers will create a quality relationship and remind them that you care about them. Effective platforms are email, newsletters, blogs, infographics, and social media posts.

3. Ask for referrals

When someone tells you how great of an experience they had with your company be sure to thank them for their feedback and ask them for a referral. Also, return the favor. Send qualified referrals with your name on them to current customers.

In the same category as referrals, industry partnerships are a great way to generate qualified leads. Partner with another business that is related to your line of work, but not a direct competitor. Your logo on their website or in their store can create a mutually beneficial relationship. For example, we are Ventura, California’s local internet marketing firm. We have an industry partnership with a local print shop, surfside prints, who we direct our clients to for their print marketing needs. If you follow the link you can see our logo at the bottom of their website.

4. Use your time efficiently

You get paid for results, not for working hard. Excellent time management has a direct effect on marketing. So stop doing busy work or over analyzing small details. Use these tips for better time management: Determine your priorities for the week and for the day. Hire someone or delegate tasks that are time costly. Weed out tasks that do not create return on investment. Determine the payoff of your networking activities. Check email 3 times per day, morning, before lunch, and before closing. Have nothing on your desk except what you are working on.

5. Use organic search engine optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the act of creating search engine impressions and generating website clicks by positioning a website as close to the number one result as possible. This can be achieved organically, by providing the most relevant, accurate, most up to date information relating to the search for which the website is trying to rank, or through paid advertising, which is achieved by outspending competitors and then paying per click (PPC).

I think its safe to say that we all know how important it is for a website to be on page one of Google. But what is the better way to get there? With Google continuously evolving their search engine and the parameters for optimal search engine placement, pay per click advertising may seem like the easier route... But, let's look a little closer.

The number one difference between organic search engine placement and pay per click advertising is that, with pay per click advertising, as soon as you can't or won't outspend the next website you're off of page one. Unless you've invested in organic SEO as well. Here are some other major differences:

PPC: You pay for every click on your ad even if the user has no intention of buying your product or service. I have seen the cost per click exceed $50 for some searches.

Organic SEO: Clicks are free for any search. Users can go to your website as many times as they need to to gather information and make an informed buying decision without increasing your customer acquisition costs.

PPC: When your accounts funds are depleted your ads are no longer displayed.

Organic SEO: Your website's ranking is active 24 hours per day.

PPC: If you want to continue generating site traffic through search engine impressions, just keep purchasing ads every day.

Organic SEO: If you want to continue generating site traffic through search engine impressions, just keep your site updated with information relevant to your business, product, service, or industry.

PPC: You have to outbid your competitors for Ad spaces.

Organic SEO: You have to provide better information than your competitors.